Before he was inducted, he said, “For me, someone that loved to lay it on the line day after day, and got the most out of themselves, I competed as hard as I possibly could on the court every time I took to the court,” said the former world No.1.
“The fans deserved for us to give everything and go out and compete, and that’s something I prided myself on.”
Hewitt had been elected to the Hall of Fame as part of the 2021 class but COVID-19 restrictions did not allow him to participate in the induction ceremonies last year. Since there was no one elected for the 2022 class, he had the spotlight.
The ceremony was held after the semifinals of the Hall of Fame Open on Newport’s grass side courts. The event was attended by other Hall of Famers including Andy Roddick and Tracy Austin.
Hewitt ended 2001 and 2002 as World No.2 after winning a Grand Slam each in those years. He was also the youngest player at the time to hold the No.1 spot.
Throughout his career, he has won 30 singles titles and was part of Australia’s Davis Cup teams in 1999 and 2003.
When speaking of his Davis Cup participation in 1999, he said, “I think I was only 18, I think, at the time. I had Pat Rafter as our top singles player and I was playing No 2 behind him,” he said. “For me that was a really proud moment, to be standing beside all those great Australians that I always idolized and looked up to.”
Newport is also especially significant as it is where he won his last ATP title in 2014.
He also spoke about it saying, “I was here playing the tournament and I had the career that I had, and I was coming toward the end of my career,” he said in the interview.
“A lot of people that I would bump into me would say: ‘I can’t wait to see you back here in a few years.’ That was probably the only time that you actually start thinking about it.”
When asked if there was anything he would have changed about his career, he said, “There’s nothing that I would change,” he said. “But something that I wish, obviously, that I was able to achieve. I felt, obviously, I was good enough to do.”